Fencepost



PATENT Cilli'FlCE.

CHASE COLVIN, OF SOUTH CHARLESTON, 01H10.

FENCEPOST.

Specification of Letters Patent. Igtguzq Nini, 3), 1}20,

Application filed July 8, 1916. Serial No. 108,105.

To all 1li/om 'it may concern.

lle it known that I, @Hasn CoLviN, a citizen of the United States, residing at South l1arleston, in the county of Clark and State oi. Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fenceposts, ot which the following is a specification, reterence being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates-to fence posts, and

the object of the invention is to provide ametal post which can be manufactured trom rolled stock with but little labor and at small expense; and to provide such a post which will have ample strength and rigidity but which will have a part, or parts, ot' such relative thinness that they can be readily punched to iorm openings for the wire fastening devices.

A further object ot' the invention is to provide such a post which will be so tapered as to forni a driving point which will drive straight; and to provide the same with anchoring devices which will resist the tendency of the post to work upward in the ground. but will not interfere materially with the drivingoi' the same. It is also an object ot' the .invention to provide the post with means for supporting a top rail.

A Afurther object ot the invention is t0 provide a wire iastening'device adapted to cooperate with such a post to quickly and lirmly secure the tence 'wires thereto. @ther objects and ad 'antages will appear as the invention is described in detail.

In the accompanyingdrawings Figure l is a vertical elevation of a fence post embodying my invention, partly broken away to reduce the length thereof; Fig. 2 is a perspective. detail view of the upper end ot' such a post; Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line .Q2-af oiE.Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows; and Fig. at is a detail view of a lower portion of the post Showing the anchor formation.

In carrying out my invention I form the postV from a section of rolledA stock which has been so rolled as to provi le a relatively thick portion to form what may be termed the body ot the post. and a relatively thin portion in which openings may be readily punched to receive the wire fastening devices. Preferably, the stock is lT-shapcd in cross section and comprises what is co1ninonly'known -as T-iron.7 lt is. however, specially rolled so that the central web, or

shank of the "l". l, which may be said to rorm the body portion ot' the post, will he relatively thick so as to IUive the necessary strength and rigidity to the post. The lat erally extending flanges, or arms ot' the T, 2, are comparatively thin so that'they can be readily punched to form relatively small openings to receive the wire fastening devices. lVere the flanges of a thickness equal to the thickness of the central weh, or body portion, ot the post, it would he necessary in order to punch the saine, in practical operation. to forni the openings much larger than is necessary to receive the wire tastening device, and, as a result the flange would be materially weakened. T he lanfres, which extend at right angles to the weli, are arranged substantially parallel. with the Afence wires and torni a relatively wide surface against which the wires are clamped by the wire fastening devices. Further. these flanges. though of less thickness and consequently ot less strength than the central web. are o't ample strength to prevent the movement ot the post edgewise of the web, while the web resists the movementof the post edgewise of the flanges. Further, the flanges being formed integral with the web add materially to the strength and rigidity of the post. The openings in the fianges 2 for the wire lfastening; devices may be arranged in any suitable manner, hut they are preferably arranged comparatively close together to permit any desired spacing the fence wires. Tire fastening devices of vitgions kinds may be used to secure the fence wires to the post, hut the shape of .the post lends itself particularly to one torni of fastening which is very simple amlwhieh can be very ,quickly and easily applied-to the post and to the fence wire. This vfastening device comprises a short sect-ion of wire adapted to be passed through one ci the openings in the iianges trom that side otl the flange adjacent to the web l and is pyrovided with suitable means to prevent the same from being drawn 'entirely through the opening. In that form ot the device shown on the lower fence wire in Fig. l and in detail in Fig. il. the fastening device is provided with a. hook shaped pcrtian 4 which engages about .the edge of the weh 'l ot' the post and thus limits the movement of the fastening device through the opening. That portion oi the 'fastening device which projects beyond the opening is of such shown at 5.

provided with the hook-shaped end forme thereon, it is a very simple matter Ito insertv ner that they i ill drive straight.

various kinds of posts now in use, for inlength to enable it to"be passed about the fence Wire even though the Wire may be spacedsome little distance from` the opening, then by means of a Wrapping tool, of any suitable kind, various kinds being known in the art, the end of thefastening device is twisted about' the fence Wire, as This fastening device bein the endof the device through the opening and cause the'hook shaped end toengage the edge of the web, or body of the post. I'f desired, the fastening device may be provided with a head afterthe manner of the nail head', as shown in the upper device of Fig. l, to prevent it from being drawn through the opening inthe flange.

' Fence posts of this type are commonly driven into the ground. and it is desirable that they shoul "be pointed in such a giranstance the angle-iron post, the tapering of the end of the post is necessarily such that the post will draw in driving-thus .making it very difficult to drive the same straight. In the present post this objection is entirely overcome by tapering the flanges toward the central Web thus providing a driving point,

' or edge, which will drive straight into the ground'without any tendency to draw. This taper may be very easily secured by shearing y in the -erably formed on opposite sides of each flanfre. These barbs do not interfere appreclably with the driving of the post but ,will bite int'o the ground and veryefl'ectively resist any tendency of the post tb Work upward. K

In certain types of fence the posts are connected one to the other at their upper ends by a top rail which, in the case of a metal fence, is usually in the form of a tube, or pipe. To enable such a top rail to be applied to my T-shaped post, the same may be, if desired, provided with an opening near the upper end thereof to receive the top rail, or pipe, and I have shown the ost in the present drawings as provided with such an opening. It will, however, be understood that this opening is not the essential part of the invention and that the post may be provided Without the same. It is desirable that the opening, which is .shown at l0, in Fig. 2, should be formed in the web close to4 the flanges in order that the top rail may be ,so located. It is not practical to form a die which could be so located with reference to the flange as to enable the opening to be punched' in the desired position. I have therefore cut away one of the flanges 2, at the upper end of the Jost, flush with the face of the Web l, as s iown at ll, so that the web may be laid flat upon the die during the punching operation.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description that I have provided a post which is not only very' simple in construction and inexpensive to manufacture, but has ample strength and rigidity and is of such a character that it can be easily driven into the ground and when so driven will be retained firmly in position. It will further be apparent that the wire fastening devices can be very quickly applied thereto and that the anchoring devices are easily formed on the lower portion thereof.

- IVhile I have shown and described one embodiment of my invention I wish it to be understood that I do not' desire to be limited to the details of construction as various modifications Will occur to a person skilled in the art.

Having now ful-ly described my invention, what I claim as new, and Wish to secure by Letters Patent, is i A T -shaped fence post having one flange cut away near one endof said post, and having an opening punched in the'web of said ,lllll post close to the surface of the remaining lange'and adjacent to the cut-away portion of the first-mentioned flange.

In testimony whereof, I affix mv signature hereto.

CHASE GOLVIN. 

